


It's the Thought That Counts

by daisey (svana_vrika)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, One Shot, White Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-14
Updated: 2005-03-14
Packaged: 2018-04-12 21:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4495122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/svana_vrika/pseuds/daisey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jounouchi gets caught in a secret</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's the Thought That Counts

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2005 for the defunct Yahoo! group, A Dragons Lair. Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own
> 
> Disclaimer: The following is written solely for fun, and no infringement is intended. Yu-gi-Oh! and the scenarios and characters involved are the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi.
> 
> No spoilers of which I'm aware.

_"You shouldn't be so impulsive!"_

_"You don't even know if it was him!"_

"Would you all jus' shut the hell up?" The blonde's rather loud `request' drew the attention of everyone in the hall, especially since it didn't appear as if anyone had been speaking to him. But Jounouchi's fellow classmates were wrong. After all, the voices in one's head counted, didn't they? Shaking his head of the rather disturbing thought, Jou continued on his dubious mission, ignoring the stares and whispers and giggles. He was used to making a spectacle of himself. It was nothing new. What _was_ new was the fluttery, roller-coastery, too-much-to-drink feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed to worsen with every step he took toward his goal: the locker of Kaiba Seto. He had meant to have his mission completed before the halls filled with students, but the combination of an unset alarm clock and a misplaced uniform jacket had botched that plan all to hell. But did he give up? No. Did he change his plans? Never. Instead, he forged ahead as was his wont, heedlessly plowing through crowds of people, determined to see this thing through. One might have suggested that, if secrecy was his goal, waiting until after the bell had rung would have been a better idea. Or that, if he was going to pursue this subtly, _not_ talking loudly to himself in the midst of a full entry hall might be good. But then, as anyone who knew the blonde would point out, subtly and secrecy weren't exactly amongst Jounouchi Katsuya's strong points. _"Of course,"_ the blonde thought- silently this time- _"I **have** managed to pull this off for almost a year now..." _

Turning the corner to the bank of lockers that hosted both his own and his target's, Jou grabbed his stomach and slid into a doorway as his nerves threatened to overcome him. He poked his head around the corner, cursing lightly as he confirmed that yes, he really had seen Kaiba, standing outside his locker as if it were just another day, and not the most pivotal day in a certain blonde's romantic- or lack thereof- life. "I am so gonna kill that kid," he thought, gritting his teeth as he remembered the smile that Mokuba had given him when he had `innocently' inquired as to Kaiba's meeting schedule for the upcoming week- claiming haughtily that he wanted to know for avoidance purposes only. Jou should have suspected when the raven- haired imp had giggled after handing him the paper, but no: he'd just had to believe in the innocence of youth and all that crap. "Shit," he bemoaned, staring down at his satchel that contained his intended delivery. "What am I gonna do now?" Jou closed his eyes and slumped down the wall to the floor, glad that the classroom whose doorway he'd sought refuge in was under construction and not currently in use.

It had all started out as a bet- from Yugi of all people. It had begun just after last year's White Day when, during one of Jounouchi's bitch sessions about a certain CEO, the petite teen had commented offhandedly that Jou was right: Kaiba was an asshole and certainly not worthy of anyone's time, let alone Jou's. For the first time in their friendship, Jou had whirled on the smaller teen in anger, demanding heatedly that he take the words back. Yugi had smirked at him knowingly, and Jou had blushed profusely, and soon, his innermost secret had been laid out in front of the world. Okay, so it had actually just been Yugi, but it had felt like the world at that point in time. Anyhow, Jou had gone on and on about how it didn't matter, `cause Kaiba hated him and wouldn't treat him as a friend, let alone anything more.

Yugi, having his own suspicions as to how the CEO felt about the blonde, had berated Jou, saying that he had never really shown anything but animosity toward the brunette himself. He had then stated (and Jou quotes) "I bet that, if you made the effort, maybe showed him some kindness, you'd be surprised by the results." 

Jounouchi Katsuya never backed down from a bet. Okay, fine: so it wasn't an actual bet in the true sense of the word but, just like secrets and subtlety, semantics weren't high on Jou's list of talents either. Anyhow, he decided to put Yugi's theory to test and, on the twenty-first of March- Shunbun No Hi- Jou had placed his first gift in Kaiba's locker: a small bundle of rosemary flowers tied with a simple white ribbon. Though he didn't know how they had perished, Jou knew that the CEO's parents had passed and besides: the day of remembrance provided an excellent starting point for his plan.

Of course, as Yugi had so kindly pointed out, the question arose as to how Kaiba was going to begin treating Jou better if he didn't know that the gift was from him. Jou, once again as was his wont, had simply given his diminutive friend a brilliant grin and had assured him it was all part of the plan; after which- once the star- haired boy had rounded the corner- he had repeatedly pounded his head against his locker as he chanted `baka' over and over and over again, stopping only when he heard the telltale brush of leather on linoleum that meant that Kaiba was approaching his locker.

Giving Jou his traditional greeting of "So the mutt actually rolled out of his basket and got to school on time", Kaiba had opened his locker and removed his trench, nearly squashing the delicate bouquet with his ridiculously heavy coat. However, at the last minute, the ribbon caught his eye and Jou watched in amazement as the brunette's eyes softened and a small- if sad- smile flitted across his lips. Kaiba had then hung up his coat and, opening his briefcase, had tenderly laid the fragile sprigs in what appeared to be a safe-type compartment before returning to his locker to search for some sort of clue as to who had left him the gift. He had even deigned himself to asking Jou if he had seen anyone "illegally accessing" his locker- Kaiba's words, not Jou's. Jou, of course, had denied seeing anything- denied so vehemently, in fact, that the brunette was soon sorry that he had asked.

That was how it had started. Other gifts had followed: a Sakura seedling for Midori No Hi in April (which had been tricky, seeing as they had been between school years at the time) and a locker sized carp streamer for Tango No Sekku in May had come next. With each gift, Kaiba's smile grew wider and his agitation grew, well, more agitated, as he continued to fail in his endeavors to out his secret admirer.

And then July seventh, Tanabata had come. Jou blushed as he recalled the gift he had given that day: a miniature bamboo tree with one single wish hanging on it- a whisper thin piece of rice paper upon which he had painstakingly inked his wish: the kanji symbols for love. Kaiba, needless to say, had been floored, his mystified smile accompanied this time by a delicate blush that Jou had found quite kawaii- until the brunette had whirled on him, demanding to know what he was gaping at. "What's the matter Mutt," he had taunted, "Jealous because nobody's brought the puppy a treat?"

Much to Jou's horrification, his eyes had stung with tears and, rapidly flipping Kaiba the bird lest he thought he had scored one on him, he had fled; cursing Yugi and his stupid idea as he’d pulled himself together in the janitor's closet. Thankfully, summer break had fallen next because, at that point, he had been ready to throw in the towel and chalk the whole thing up as one of those asinine learning experiences adults were always going on about. But it's amazing how much healing one can do in a six week period; especially when a certain CEO and object of one's affections was out of the picture the entire time, conquering some corporation somewhere in the States.

By the time classes had resumed, Jou was so desperate for even a glimpse of the brunette that he had actually gotten to school early, gingerly placing a vase of wisteria sprigs in the bottom of Kaiba's locker. Jou smiled as he recalled the way the brunette had approached his locker almost warily, his slightly apprehensive expression fading into a gorgeous smile when he saw the welcoming gift. He had then turned to Jou- who had automatically stiffened himself against the upcoming onslaught- only to surprise him by coolly asking his opinion of the flowers. Nervously, he had stammered out something about the color being nice, before excusing himself and dashing to homeroom, taking his seat a full ten minutes early.

As the school year had continued, so had the gifts. A bundle of forget-me-nots for Shubun No Hi in September, and a hand framed watercolor of a crane (that had taken him forever to do) for Bunka No Hi in November, had worked wonders as well. The presents had brought more smiles and, to Jou's surprise, more conversation, as he and Kaiba had casually discussed the symbolism of the gifts before parting ways.

Then the two big ones had come: Christmas and Shogatsu. The delicately chalked Blue Eyes had brought the blush back and, this time, though Jou had made a point not to stare, Kaiba had actually approached _him_ \- practically shoving the sketch under his nose (like he hadn't spent the last four weeks hunched over it at home) as he’d asked his opinion. And, while the handmade nengajo had had to be snuck into his mailbox in the middle of the night, Jou could only hope that it had received the same reaction.

So there he had been, beginning a brand new year with his head held high; confident in the fact that the object of his affections still didn't know who was showering him with, er, affection. And then Valentine’s Day had come and his confident little world had come crashing down in the form of a rectangular, red, crushed-velvet box. Jou had placed his single long stemmed red rose (damn, those things are expensive) inside Kaiba's locker and had turned to his own to retrieve his books, only to have aforementioned box fall to his feet as he opened the door. Tentatively he had picked up the box, staring at it as if it might bite as he wondered who in the hell had put it there in the first place. Chewing his lip nervously (hey, if you'd pulled as many pranks as _he_ had, you'd be nervous too, ne?) he had slid the ribbon off and, after a moment’s hesitation he'd lifted the lid. Instantly his eyes had widened and his face had paled and- after looking around frantically to ensure he was still alone, he had fled the scene, clutching the box to his chest as he’d dove once again into the janitor's closet. Only then had he removed the lid completely, groaning and flushing with color as he stared disbelievingly at the dozen white chocolate puppies nestled in tiny dark chocolate baskets. 

That had been it. The jig was up. Life, as he'd known it, was over. It had taken him clear until third period before he'd been able to talk himself out of the closet- no pun intended- and then only because his two classes with Kaiba were over. Somehow he'd fumbled through the remainder of the day, blaming his odd behavior on something he'd eaten- an excuse which even his closest friends always believed. Jou sighed as he thunked his head against the wall. That had been exactly one month ago and, during that month, nothing between him and Kaiba had changed. The brunette still treated him as a subordinate, and Jou still blustered at every insult flung his way, thus leading him to believe he'd been mistaken in his assumption that Kaiba had figured him out.

_"Then why are you going through with this?"_

_"It could have been anyone... ~everyone~ at the school knows he calls you Puppy!"_

_"Do you ~get off~ on being publicly humiliated?"_

"Shut the fuck up!" Jou hissed, growing increasingly concerned by the fact that not only was he hearing voices in his head, he was answering them. Finally the first period bell rang and, poking his head out once more, he sighed in relief as he saw the empty hall. Rising to his feet, he stretched the kinks out of his back and rubbed at his ass, trying to regain some semblance of feeling after nearly freezing it to the cold concrete floor. 

Jou whistled nonchalantly, trying to quell his nerves as he approached Kaiba's locker. Setting his satchel down, he removed the festively decorated box, trying to convince himself to see the mission to completion. This was it. Today was the day. One way or the other, he was going to find out if Kaiba knew it was him by giving him a gift that so screamed Jounouchi that the brunette would either kiss him or kill him... provided Jou didn't die of nervousness beforehand. With a trembling hand, the blonde reached out and spun the com that had become as familiar as his own. He had just slid the bolt up and cracked open the door when all of a sudden-

"SLAM!" 

Jou jumped back in fright and `eeped' as he felt himself land on somebody's foot. Slowly raising his eyes, the color drained from his face as he saw an elegant hand firmly planted on Kaiba's locker- a hand that belonged to Kaiba himself.

"And just what do you think you are doing, Puppy?" The brunette demanded, his voice low and dangerous. Jou closed his eyes and swallowed, refusing to turn around.

"N...nothin'."

"Hnn." A surprisingly gentle hand grabbed hold of his arm and spun him around, while the hand that had closed the locker removed the box from his grasp. "And what do we have here?" 

Once again Jou swallowed, his face wavering between paling in fright and blushing in embarrassment as he kept his eyes firmly closed. "N...nothin'," he repeated, wincing at the fact that his reply sounded stupid, even to him.

"So..." Kaiba drawled, the tenor of his voice sending a shiver up Jou's spine, "You're telling me that you're entering my locker to put a box of `nothin' inside, for no reason?" 

Jou winced again. He'd been right. He _had_ sounded stupid. Swallowing a third time and drudging up his last ounce of pride and courage, (and that was only if you weighed them together), he opened his eyes and glared defiantly at the smirking brunette. "Fine!" he snapped, gesturing toward the box as he wrenched his arm out of Kaiba's grasp, "Happy White Day, ya know it all jerk!" Blinking rapidly, Jou fled for the solstice of the janitor's closet once again, only to be stopped mid-flight. His brown eyes widened in disbelief as Kaiba pulled him to him, staring down at him with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Now surely you can do better than that," he purred, lowering his head and capturing Jou's lips in a gentle yet knee- buckling (for Jou, anyways) kiss. Feeling the brunette pull away and feeling slightly cheated that he'd been caught unawares; Jou tangled a hand in Kaiba's hair and deepened the kiss, whimpering slightly as he felt Kaiba's tongue tease his lips in askance for entry. Willingly he complied, shyly bringing his own tongue up to caress the other's and whimpering again as he heard Kaiba's moan. All too soon it was over and they moved apart slightly, both of them blushing and breathless.

"So," Jou began almost bashfully, "when did you figure me out?" Seto sighed and rested his chin on Jou's head. 

"I suspected it was you when you ran away on Tanabata." Gentle lips replaced the chiseled chin in his hair for a moment. "I'm sorry for that, by the way." 

"I got over it," Jou replied, smiling into Seto's chest upon hearing the apology.

"I know, but it was still wrong of me. Anyhow, after that I kept my eyes open, but you were a sneaky little puppy." Jou giggled as Seto pulled him away from his chest and kissed him lightly on the nose. "So," he concluded, "I had to resort to spying. I caught you when you put the forget-me-nots in my locker on Shubun No Hi," he admitted, his eyes soft with the memory. "Just so you know, both those and the rosemary became part of my personal offering for my parents at temple." Jou blushed as, once again, Seto drew him close. "I've never received such heartfelt gifts from anyone, Jounouchi. Thank you for making the past year so special." 

Shyly Jou reached up and brushed his lips against the brunette's. "I'm glad you liked the presents," he whispered, sighing contentedly as Seto nuzzled his hair.

"Hnn. I think I like this one the best." Seto replied, kissing him again before stepping back with a smile. "Of course, I haven't seen what's in here yet." His grin widened as Jou's face turned a brilliant red.

"Heh heh... you really don't have to open that now," Jou claimed, trying to wrest the box away.

"No!" Seto replied, clutching the box to his chest possessively, his eyes alight with laughter. "This is mine! Bad Puppy." Groaning in embarrassment, Jou stepped away and slouched against the locker. Suddenly a loud peal of laughter echoed through the empty halls, and Jou found himself once again in Seto's arms. "Happy White Day, Puppy," he chuckled, giving the blonde a searing kiss before releasing him. "Come on. We'd better get to class; we're already late." 

Still blushing- but for an entirely different reason- Jou let the brunette take him by the hand and lead him down the hall, the box of twelve fishnet bags filled with small, chocolate coins lovingly stowed in Seto's locker.


End file.
